Crush of the Month: Chef David Chang

YumHow do we love thee, Chef David Chang? Hard, and not just because you’re a James Beard award-winning chef and two Michelin star restaurateur.

What makes Chef David Chang Lisa’s “freebie" and my dream bestie? For Lisa, it’s his mad culinary skills, bionic palate and ever-evolving approach to eating and feeding. For me, well, I drool for his food, admire his potty mouth and share in his love for fly-fishing and the Allman Brothers, to name a few.

Here’s what you need to know about this master of flavor, creator of the delicious and renegade in the restaurant world...

“My love for David Chang begins with Mind of a Chef Season 1, watching him cook corn miso topped with a slow poached egg it looks heavenly...now put him sitting across from me while I feast and I’m forever happy!! And if he wanted to feed me a bowl of his Ramen I wouldn’t say no to that.” – Lisa, August 2017

2. Dave appreciates “people who are happy,” which works because I’m super happy.

3. Dave and I could duet ‘Midnight Rider’ at karaoke after taking in a Toronto sports game (he, like myself, is an avid sports fan).

1. Momofuku means “lucky peach” in Japanese and is also his shout-out to Momofuku Ando, the inventor of instant ramen, a fave of Dave’s,

2. Joe Beef in Montreal is among David Chang’s favorite restaurants,

3. David Chang doesn’t dig on turkey or the taste of dill,

4. He considers Roadhouse one of the most underrated movies of all time,

5. According to Chang, it takes 17 hours to make proper ramen.

BONUS!David’s rise to super stardom was fast, furious and super successful because he took risks and cooked the kind of food people wanted to eat.

“I want the diners to smack their heads and think, Fuck, why didn’t I think of that? It’s like when you go to the MoMA and think, I could’ve done that.” He smiles. “But you didn’t.”– Vogue Magazine, September 2013

“I’m on the reverse Atkins Diet.” – David Chang while eating ramen on the highly entertaining PBS series The Mind of a Chef.

“I was quite cocky, but having been hailed as this great young golfer, I couldn’t even make the high school golf team once I got there. I had a big dose of humble pie then, and ever since, I’ve always known that there is always someone out there better than you, more talented. Always.”– The Guardian, September 14, 2010

“I learned so much more prepping vegetables than I ever did in cooking school.”– Food & Wine, March 2015